Aviagen Asia Pacific Leaders Forum

Ivan Ivanov is the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Global Lead for Sustainable Protein Advisory, overseeing IFC's work with animal protein clients to strengthen operational excellence and sustainable production. IFC is the private sector arm of the World Bank and the largest multilateral investor in agribusiness in developing countries. Ivan has over 30 years of experience in setting up, managing, and advising private businesses. In previous roles at IFC, Ivan served as regional manager for IFC Advisory Services in Europe and Central Asia, overseeing engagements in extractive industries, automotive, and agribusiness. Over the last 15 years, he has focused on IFC agribusiness operations, including developing its Sustainable Protein advisory offering. Prior to joining IFC, Ivan founded and managed several successful private ventures in distribution and food processing. He holds a Master degree from MGIMO Moscow and an MBA from HEC School of Business Paris.

Peter has over 30 years of experience in the poultry industry and has worked for the largest poultry integrators in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.  He is an author and co-author of more than 80 peer-reviewed journals and joined Aviagen in 2024.

Tony Hunter is a Global Food Futurist Speaker, Strategic Foresight Consultant, Food Scientist, and author specializing in the Future of Food and Agriculture. He has over 30 years of experience in the Food Industry, including over a decade in senior management, having been the General Manager of two food companies. He now operates his own company, Future of Food Consulting, providing global speaking and consulting services. 

Tony has spoken on four continents and appears regularly in print, podcasts, and radio globally as an expert on the Future of Food. He has presented to industries throughout the food chain from animal feeds in Vienna, to food in Dubai, confectionary in Melbourne, and the restaurant industry in Auckland.

In his consulting role, he provides expert and strategic foresight advice to global food companies from PepsiCo to KFC on the impact of cutting-edge food technology and consumer trends on the food industry. He also advises government, VC investors, and top four global consulting companies such as Accenture on these topics.

He delivers a unique perspective on the Future of Food based upon his distinctive combination of scientific qualifications, business experience, and detailed understanding of food technologies.

Alejandro is a veteran of the aquaculture industry having worked across the value chain from production to inputs in various species and regions of the world. He has a background as DVM  and holds several masters in aquaculture, quantitative genetics, and an MBA. Until recently, he was the CEO of GenoMar Genetics, one of the EW Group aquaculture breeding companies, where he led the expansion of aquaculture operations across different countries and spearheaded genetics innovation and commercialization. He also lived in Southeast Asia for 7 years.

Etienne Bonbon has joined the Animal Health Unit of European Commission as a Seconded National Expert since November 1st, 2022, after having been Senior Veterinary Advisor to the FAO Animal Health Service from May 2017. He received his diploma in Veterinary Medicine in 1987, DVM in 1989, and MSc degree in human and animal epidemiology in 1991. Initially a private practitioner in rural areas, he has been a Veterinary Public Health Inspector in the French Ministry of Agriculture since 1991. From 1992 to 2017, he was successively: Deputy Director of Veterinary Services in Puy-de-Dôme and Martinique; Head of the Export Unit at the General Directorate for Food in Paris; Regional Veterinary Attaché for the Near and Middle East in Beirut, and then for Northern Asia in Beijing; Seconded to the European Commission in DG Santé in Brussels; Head of the Communication Unit and Advisor to the Director General of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE) in Paris; and Seconded to the European Union Delegation to the OECD, UNESCO and WOAH in Paris. He has been President of the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Standards Commission since 2015, after having been Vice-President since 2009; he was reelected in May 2024 for a three-year term.

Yash is Arbor Acres's brand manager, responsible for overseeing customer relations and brand development throughout the Asia Pacific region since 2018. He holds an MS degree in Industrial and Commercial Biotechnology from Newcastle University in the UK and a Diploma in Management Essentials from Harvard University in the USA. Yash's journey with Aviagen began in 2013, and since then, he has accumulated a wealth of experience in diverse roles across India, New Zealand, and Australia. Notably, in 2015, he assumed the role of Commercial Business Manager for Aviagen India, where he effectively utilized his comprehensive understanding of our brands. Additionally, Yash is a distinguished graduate of the 2014 Aviagen Production Management school. Before joining the Aviagen family, Yash was a Deputy Manager at Indian Agro and Food Industries Ltd., where he oversaw broiler production and sales operations, further enriching his industry expertise.

Dominic Elfick is the Marketing Manager for Aviagen Asia Pacific. He has over 25 years of experience in the primary breeding industry. Initially working as a geneticist for Aviagen in Scotland and the USA; he eventually ran the US breeding and testing programs as Director of R&D. He moved his home base to Melbourne, Australia in 2009 with the role of Product Manager, taking care of product development, support and testing in Asia-Pacific; Turkey; Middle East and Africa. Dominic is a well-known speaker at industry conferences and events, talking on a variety of topics including genetic improvement, economics, product performance, and personal development. He accepted the role of marketing manager in late 2023, where his focus is on marketing strategy, market development, and product fit.

Santiago Avendaño is originally from Uruguay and joined Aviagen in 2003 after graduating from Edinburgh University with a PhD in Quantitative Genetics and Genome Analysis. He is currently Global VP of R&D for the Aviagen Group with responsibility for the development, evaluation and implementation of new technologies within Aviagen’s breeding programmes. Santiago has visited Ross distributors around the world learning from their experience and focusing on incorporating their feedback into breeding programme actions. Previously to joining Aviagen, Santiago was a researcher and technical advisor in beef cattle and sheep breeding in pasture-based production systems in Latin America.

Since 1997, Michael has lived and worked in Asia, beginning his career with PIC in the Philippines and then as General Manager of Alltech in China.

In 2007, Michael founded Asian Agribusiness Consulting and Asian Agribusiness Recruitment, advising clients on their business entry, expansion, talent attraction and retention strategies for Asia.

Michael operates between his offices in China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Australian collaborating with businesses across multiple countries.

Tim Burnside is the Global Vice President of Welfare, Sustainability and Compliance for the Aviagen Group, a position he has held since July 2022. He is responsible for coordinating the group's global welfare system for chickens and turkeys, in conjunction with various global sustainability projects.

Prior to his current role, he worked for Aviagen Turkeys for over 25 years. During his time there, he had responsibilities across several different areas of the business, including quality assurance, health and safety, sales and marketing, and research and development. Tim holds an MS degree in poultry science from the University of Glasgow, UK.

In addition, he is actively involved in various regional and global industry welfare and sustainability working groups, including Avec, the European Forum for Farm Animal Breeders, the International Alliance for Poultry Welfare and the International Poultry Council.

Dr Daniel Gomes Originally from Brazil, Dr Gomes earned a degree in Veterinary Medicine at the Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) in Brazil in 2006. He started his career as a field veterinarian for parent stock and broiler at Seara, one of Brazil's largest poultry-producing companies. He graduated with a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) at FGV University (Brazil) in 2012, prior to joining Farmabase Saude Animal, a Brazilian animal health company, where he served for nine years in a variety of commercial and customer support roles in Brazil, Latina America and Asia. He relocated to Bangkok in 2019. Daniel took the role of Indian River Brand Manager at Aviagen Asia Pacific in 2021. He is responsible for all the customer facing activities for the brand and spends much of his time engaged with his client base across the Asian region. In 2023 Daniel was awarded Aviagen`s Ian Panton scholarship, which supports the development of future industry leaders, by providing mentorship from senior managers and financial support to develop their career advancement.

LEROY Frédéric graduated as a Bioengineer (Ghent University, 1998) and obtained a PhD in Applied Biological Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB, 2002), where he now holds a professorship in food science and (bio)technology. His research deals with animal source foods, food processing, fermentation, nutrition, and interdisciplinary 'food studies'. He is a member of academic non-profit societies, i.e., the Belgian Association of Meat Science and Technology (BAMST, president), Belgian Society for Food Microbiology (BSFM, president), and Belgian Nutrition Society (BNS). On a non-remunerated basis, he also serves on the Scientific Board of the World Farmers' Organization (WFO) and FAO/COAG Sub-Committee on Livestock. He was the recipient of the yearly award of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP) in 2022, acknowledging his research activities and international recognition within the animal sciences, and also of the 2025 American Meat Science Association (AMSA) Reciprocal Meat Conference (RMC) International Lectureship Award for his ‘active leadership and promotion of international activities that foster cooperation and open communication, and the dissemination of knowledge for the benefit of society’.

Greg Hitt has dedicated his career to poultry, starting in 1986 with a leading New Zealand integrator in various managerial roles. He joined Aviagen in 2021 as a technical service manager supporting Ross customers across the region to harness the full genetic potential of the breed. In 2018, Greg became regional technical manager for Aviagen Asia, overseeing the largest poultry customer service team in the region covering India, China, Australia / New Zealand and Asia Pacific.

Vice President: Animal Nutrition Creation Design & Development (AN CD&D) at ADM A veteran of global animal nutrition and health technical, research and marketing fields, Milan now leads ADM’s Creation Design & Development (CD&D) team for its Animal Nutrition business. This team delivers service and support excellence to customers by integrating technical sales, formulations and services including laboratory support. His global team consists of highly skilled and experienced nutritionists, veterinarians, life production experts, practical formulators, analytical experts, and product managers. Milan’s goal is to focus on developing and introducing synergistic technologies that provide cost-effective real-time solutions in the areas of performance efficiency, sustainability, and health and wellness. He joined ADM in early 2019 during ADM’s increased focus on expansion of solutions based on functional ingredients portfolio. His current role allows him to be closely involved with the development of ADM’s Animal Nutrition solutions strategy and build links with other ADM nutrition experts. Earlier in his career, Milan held various technical, research and marketing positions in Europe and USA, gaining knowledge of feed enzymes technology, probiotics, electrolytes and essential oils feed additives. He has worked with Finnfeeds International, Danisco Animal Nutrition and Dupont. Milan has received a Ph.D. in poultry nutrition from the University of Minnesota. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with his wife and two sons. In his spare time, he enjoys long-distance running, skiing, reading and connecting with friends and family all over the world.

Jan K. Henriksen CEO of Aviagen With over 30 years of experience in global agri-business, Jan K. Henriksen serves as the CEO of Aviagen, a global leader in poultry breeding. Henriksen’s journey with Aviagen began in 2014 following his successful tenure as Managing Director and CEO of Landmännen Unibake, the international bakery division of Landmännen Group. Previously, from 2009 to 2011, Henriksen was the Managing Director and CEO of Landmännen Kronfogel Group, a prominent broiler integration in Northern Europe, where he forged invaluable connections with Aviagen and gained profound insights into the global broiler industry. From 2005 to 2008, he demonstrated exceptional leadership as Managing Director and CEO of Danaeg amba, a conglomerate of egg producers spanning Denmark and Sweden. Throughout his career, Henriksen has held various key positions in the European food and agri-business industries, solidifying his expertise and influence across sectors. In addition to his role at Aviagen, Henriksen contributes his knowledge and expertise as a member of the supervisory board of Brdr. Hartman A/S and as Chairman of BPI A/S. Henriksen is a frequent guest editorial contributor to Poultry International, where he shares his CEO perspective on various topics of industry relevance. He has also been a featured speaker at numerous international industry conferences, including the 36th annual FACTA Conference (2019), the Nordic Poultry Conference (2022), the International Poultry Council (2023), and the National Chicken Council’s Chicken Marketing Summit (2024), further cementing his position as a thought leader in the global poultry industry.

George Peppou is the CEO & Founder of Vow, a food company seeking to revolutionise the food industry by making food that’s inaccessible today, available to us tomorrow. Vow uses cultured meat technology to do this – instead of replicating familiar foods like chicken nuggets and burgers, Vow produces entirely new meats that meat-eaters choose selfishly. This starts with cultured Japanese quail, a decadent new ingredient now on menu at top restaurants, eateries and hotels in Singapore, and soon to be available in venues across Australia and New Zealand. George began his career as a chef, balancing full-time work with biochemistry studies while honing his craft in Australia’s top fine-dining restaurants. Realising that true sustainability required reinventing the food system, not just fixing it, he turned to entrepreneurship. Drawing inspiration from SpaceX, George is building innovative systems, products, and brands to redefine how food is created and perceived.

Paipin "Pin" Sa-ngiam, Aviagen Logistics and Quality Manager for Asia Pacific. With over a decade of experience in logistics and supply chain management, Paipin has played a crucial role in enhancing product quality and optimizing logistics operations for importation to the region, while being committed to maintaining the highest standards of biosecurity and operational excellence.